In 2025, nurses across the U.S. are increasingly taking on side hustles, not as a hobby, but out of necessity. With wages struggling to keep pace with inflation, everyday expenses, and student debt, many say additional work is the only way to stay financially stable.
A recent survey by St. Thomas University found that four in five nurses have a side hustle, and nearly half started theirs in the past one to three years.
Only 28% of nurses said their main nursing income was enough to live on.
Side Hustles Across the Workforce
Nurses aren’t the only ones picking up extra work. A recent LinkedIn Workforce Confidence survey found that 31% of U.S. workers have a side hustle alongside their main job.
Professionals in business development, the arts, media, education, and marketing were most likely to report having side gigs. On the other hand, those in quality assurance, product management, and engineering were least likely to take on additional work.
Motivations extend beyond financial strain. While many pursue side hustles to pay bills, others use them to explore passion projects, build new skills, or expand their professional networks.
Flexible schedules and remote work have also made it easier to manage extra jobs.
Financial Pressures and Burnout
Get your finances in shape! In The Infographic Guide to Personal Finance, you will learn all the skills you need to make good financial decisions and grow your personal wealth.
Inflation, student loan debt, and lackluster wage growth are pushing nurses to look beyond their day jobs. 71% of nurses said they started their side hustle because of inflation and the rising cost of living. 34% cited student loan debt as the main reason.
Many nurses are juggling multiple roles. According to the study, 29% of nurses with side gigs have two, and 5% manage three or more.
The most common side hustles include selling products (37%), travel nursing or per diem shifts (20%), rideshare or delivery driving (17%), and content creation (16%).
But side hustles aren’t always a choice. As one nurse told Newsweek, “Side hustles weren’t optional—they were part of survival.”
Janine Kelbach, a 20-year nursing veteran and founder of WriteRN, explained that the financial pressure became especially intense during her pregnancy.
Maternity leave was unpaid, so she worked “right up until labor so I could afford more time at home with my baby.”
Kelbach said she’s always held more than one job.
“It put me in a constant scarcity mindset—always hoping the next paycheck would be enough,” she added.
“In 20 years, I never held just one job.”
New Ventures, New Skills
While many nurses are picking up side gigs out of necessity, some are turning them into full-fledged businesses.
Jenn Plescia, a board-certified nurse practitioner, now runs an IV hydration and aesthetics company in New Jersey. She started her first side hustle doing COVID testing in 2020 and used the income to take maternity leave.
Her motivation?
“Like many nurses, I found myself needing a side hustle to feel financially secure and to build a future with more stability and flexibility,” she told Newsweek.
Still, balancing a business with full-time work can be overwhelming. Plescia said she had to structure her time carefully and guard her energy to avoid burnout. “Even then, burnout was a very real risk,” she said.
Social media has become a key tool for entrepreneurial nurses. TikTok is the top platform driving these efforts, used by 45% of side-hustling nurses, followed by Facebook (34%) and Instagram (31%).
Policy Changes Add Fuel
The Department of Education recently removed nursing from its list of “professional” degrees, which means nurses now qualify for less federal student loan support than other medical fields.
The decision triggered strong pushback. More than 200,000 people signed a petition from the American Nurses Association asking the department to reverse course.
It added to a growing sense of frustration in the field. Many nurses already feel underpaid and stretched thin. According to the STU survey, only 40% of nurses said their employer offers solid financial wellness support.
Side Hustles: Long-Term or Stopgap?
The average nurse with a side hustle earns 17% of their total income from it. But not all plan to stop.
In fact, 20% said no raise would convince them to give it up, and 21% said they feel the need to hide their side gig from their employer.
Some nurses, like Ida Adesina, say planning ahead helped them avoid financial strain.
She finished her education debt-free and now mentors others. “I haven’t experienced what many nurses have because I was strategic,” she said.
Although she runs a side hustle, she explained that the focus of her business is “designed to help other nurses do what I’ve been able to do.”
With living costs continuing to rise and policy support lagging, side hustles are no longer just extra income for nurses; they’re a financial necessity.
For many, it’s the only way to stay afloat.